Shabazz Palaces - Binoculars (feat. Royce The Choice)

What this video is

Released October 17, 2023, as the lead single and official video from Shabazz Palaces' mini-album 'Robed in Rareness' (Sub Pop), this video sits within Ishmael Butler's long-running project of reimagining hip-hop through an afrofuturist, experimental lens rooted in the Seattle underground. The 2023 release marks the first full collection of new Shabazz Palaces material since 'The Don of Diamond Dreams' (2020). The…

Why it matters

Shabazz Palaces is a benchmark act in experimental and avant-garde hip-hop, consistently expanding rap's formal and aesthetic limits since their 2011 Sub Pop debut. 'Binoculars' and its visual represent the continuation of a career-spanning interrogation of Black futurism, lyrical density, and…

The director

Stephan Gray is a director, cinematographer, and editor active primarily in music videos and short-form content. He operates under Gray Matter Productions and maintains credits across directorial, editorial, and camera departments, with over 22 documented…